This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Within the mining and construction industries machinery, such as LHD's, excavators and front-end loaders, are used to move debris for various purposes. This machinery is often used in an extremely abrasive environment resulting in extreme wear on components.
The machinery often incorporates a bucket having a wear edge which digs into the earth during operation. Owing to the nature of the operating environment, the wear edge wears very quickly and requires protection to prevent costly repairs to or replacement of the bucket.
It is common practice to place a shroud, or a series of shrouds along the wear edge to act as a sacrificial wear component. These components are designed to be replaced when they have worn and are no longer providing the degree of protection required.
As the shrouds operate in a harsh environment it is essential that the construction of the shroud and the means in which they are attached to the bucket be as robust as possible. Currently there are a variety of means to secure a shroud to a bucket, including bolting or welding the shroud to the bucket, both of which are robust attachment means. However, when attached in this manner significant time is required to remove the worn shroud from the bucket.
Other securing means have also been developed. However, these are either complex in nature or are prone to damage during operation, rendering them difficult to remove or the damage may cause the shroud to detach from the bucket leaving the wear edge exposed.
The reference to the abovementioned prior art is for the purposes of background only and is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that the prior art forms part of the general knowledge.